Uttarakhand’s first flyover thrown open to public

The flyover in Balliwala area in Dehradun that was inaugurated by chief minister Harish Rawat on Monday.(HT Photo)

Uttarakhand got its first flyover on Monday when chief minister Harish Rawat threw open to the public an overpass in the congested Balliwala area in the capital, naming it after freedom fighter Sri Dev Suman of Tehri.

Rawat said six more underpasses and flyovers had been planned for the city. “Also, a dedicated agency (Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority) has been asked to develop a network of roads here as the city is fast acquiring the shape of a metropolis,” he said.

“We have asked the MDDA authorities to submit a plan for the proposed road network. In this connection, we will also welcome the suggestions of the first citizen of the city,” the chief minister said while referring to Dehradun mayor Vinod Chamoli, who was present at the function along with other senior leaders.

The flyover built at a cost of about `25 crore has been named after Sri Dev Suman, who sacrificed his life for the freedom of Tehri from the king of Garhwal and died on July 25, 1944.

“Two additional flyovers coming up in the city are nearing completion and would be dedicated to the public by October,” the chief minister said.

He said a rapid transport system that would link the city with its surrounding areas was already in the pipeline. “We are in talks with a company about the nitty-gritty of the system,” he said. “I want this system to take shape at the earliest so that the city has a free flowing traffic and people are not inconvenienced owing to the chronic traffic congestion.”

He said the rapid transport system project proposed to link Dehradun with Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) via Vikasnagar and Sahashpur would help ease the traffic pressure from the state capital. A similar Rapid Transport System would also link Dehradun with Haridwar and Rishikesh.

“This smart traffic infrastructure is needed to accommodate the city’s rapidly increasing population that, of course, is a matter of concern,” Rawat said.